阅读说明：本技术 信息处理系统、信息处理装置以及信息处理方法 (Information processing system, information processing apparatus, and information processing method ) 是由 大场洋明 松井康真 巽弘至 神户佑太 于 2018-12-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种信息处理系统,其是具备多个电池站和信息处理装置的信息处理系统,各电池站具备：充电单元,其能够对更换式电池进行充电；以及第一通信单元,其发送与所述电池站所配置的更换式电池的充电量相关的充电信息,所述信息处理装置具备：第二通信单元,其从所述第一通信单元接收所述充电信息；确定单元,其基于接收到的所述充电信息来确定每个电池站的充电量；以及移动计划单元,其基于确定出的每个电池站的所述充电量来制作在所述电池站间的更换式电池的移动计划。(An information processing system including a plurality of battery stations and an information processing device, each battery station including: a charging unit capable of charging the replaceable battery; and a first communication unit that transmits charging information related to a charged amount of a replacement battery disposed in the battery station, the information processing apparatus including: a second communication unit that receives the charging information from the first communication unit; a determination unit that determines a charge amount of each battery station based on the received charge information; and a movement planning means for creating a movement plan of a replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.)

1. An information processing system including a plurality of battery stations and an information processing device,

each battery station includes:

a charging unit capable of charging the replaceable battery; and

a first communication unit that transmits charging information related to a charging amount of a replacement battery disposed at the battery station,

the information processing device is provided with:

a second communication unit that receives the charging information from the first communication unit;

a determination unit that determines a charge amount of each battery station based on the received charge information; and

and a movement planning means for creating a movement plan of the replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the charge amount of each battery station is a total charge amount of replacement batteries provided for the battery station.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the charge amount of each battery station is a ratio of a total of charge amounts of replacement batteries arranged in the battery station to a total of capacities of the replacement batteries that can be arranged in the battery station.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the movement planning means creates a movement plan so that the replacement battery is moved from the battery station having a large amount of charged electricity to the battery station having a small amount of charged electricity.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the charging information is information related to a total of charged amounts of replacement batteries arranged in the battery station.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the charging information includes information relating to respective charge amounts of replacement batteries arranged in the battery station,

the determination unit calculates the charge amount of the battery station by summing up the charge amounts of the replacement batteries.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the charging information includes an identifier of each replacement battery,

the movement planning unit makes the movement plan including the identifier of at least one of the replacement batteries.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the movement planning means plans the movement plan so that the replacement battery is moved from the battery station having the larger amount of charge to the battery station having the smaller amount of charge when the difference between the amounts of charge of the two battery stations exceeds a first threshold value.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the movement planning means compares the total charge amount of each battery station with a reference value, and creates a movement plan so that the replacement battery is moved from a battery station in which the total charge amount is larger than the reference value and the difference between the total charge amount and the reference value is equal to or larger than a second threshold value to a battery station in which the total charge amount is smaller than the reference value and the difference between the reference value and the total charge amount is equal to or larger than a third threshold value.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the information processing apparatus further includes a demand prediction unit that predicts a demand of each battery station,

the movement planning unit further makes the movement plan based on the predicted demand.

11. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the information processing apparatus further includes a distribution unit that distributes information related to the movement plan of the replaceable battery to a user terminal of a logged-in user.

12. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the first communication unit transmits user identification information identifying a user using the battery station,

the information processing apparatus further includes a user management unit that manages a usage history of a user based on the user identification information received by the second communication unit.

13. The information processing system according to claim 12,

the information processing device stores performance information of the user who moves the replaceable battery according to the created movement plan in the user management unit.

14. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the battery station further includes a power supply unit capable of supplying electric power from the replaceable battery to an external device.

15. An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of battery stations,

each battery station includes:

a charging unit capable of charging the replaceable battery; and

a first communication unit that transmits charging information related to a charging amount of a replacement battery disposed at the battery station,

the information processing device is provided with:

a second communication unit that receives the charging information from the first communication unit;

a determination unit that determines a charge amount of each battery station based on the received charge information; and

and a movement planning means for creating a movement plan of the replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.

16. An information processing method characterized by comprising, in a first step,

the information processing method is executed by an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of battery stations including a charging unit capable of charging a replacement battery and a first communication unit transmitting charging information on a charged amount of the replacement battery disposed in each of the battery stations,

the information processing method comprises the following steps:

a communication step of receiving the charging information from the first communication unit;

a determination step of determining a charge amount of each battery station based on the received charging information; and

and a movement planning step of creating a movement plan of the replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.

Technical Field

The invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method.

Background

Patent document 1 proposes an automatic storage system for storing an electric motorcycle operated by a detachable battery, and a battery of such a system.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

Here, since the number of users at a battery station (battery station) varies and the amount of charge of the replacement battery disposed at a specific battery station decreases, a user who desires to use the battery station may not use the electric vehicle. In addition, such a battery station is expected to be effectively used as a backup power source in an emergency. However, if the amount of charge in the battery station is low, effective use as a backup power source cannot be expected.

The purpose of the present invention is to enable the amount of charge of a battery station in which a replaceable battery is disposed to be adjusted.

Means for solving the problems

According to the present invention, there is provided an information processing system including a plurality of battery stations and an information processing apparatus, wherein each of the battery stations includes: a charging unit capable of charging the replaceable battery; and a first communication unit that transmits charging information related to a charged amount of a replacement battery disposed in the battery station, the information processing apparatus including: a second communication unit that receives the charging information from the first communication unit; a determination unit that determines a charge amount of each battery station based on the received charge information; and a movement planning means for creating a movement plan of a replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of battery stations, each of the battery stations including: a charging unit capable of charging the replaceable battery; and a first communication unit that transmits charging information related to a charged amount of a replacement battery disposed in the battery station, the information processing apparatus including: a second communication unit that receives the charging information from the first communication unit; a determination unit that determines a charge amount of each battery station based on the received charge information; and a movement planning means for creating a movement plan of a replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of battery stations including a charging unit capable of charging a replaceable battery and a first communication unit that transmits charging information on a charged amount of the replaceable battery disposed in each of the battery stations, the information processing method including: a communication step of receiving the charging information from the first communication unit; a determination step of determining a charge amount of each battery station based on the received charging information; and a movement planning step of creating a movement plan of the replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, by creating a movement plan based on the amount of charge for each battery station, the amount of charge can be adjusted between the battery stations.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a system diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an information processing system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information related to a battery station stored in a memory of the information processing system.

Fig. 4 is a processing sequence diagram of the information processing system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 5A is a diagram showing a total charge amount of the battery station and a plan for moving the replacement battery according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 5B is a diagram showing the total charge amount of the battery station and the plan for moving the replacement battery according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a total charge amount of the battery station and a plan for moving the replacement battery according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a process of creating a movement plan based on a comparison between the total charge amount of the battery station and the required amount, which is executed by the information processing system according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of information related to a user stored in a memory of the information processing system.

Fig. 9 is an example of a screen showing a movement plan distributed by the information processing system according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a screen example showing a movement plan distributed by the information processing system according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a battery station and a replaceable battery according to a fifth embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

< first embodiment >

The present embodiment provides a system for assisting a user of a replacement battery in acquiring a battery at a battery station and bringing the battery to the battery station or another battery station to charge and replace the replacement battery. The present system provides a mechanism for adjusting the total charge amount (total charge amount) of the replacement battery between the battery stations.

An information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1. The information processing system 100 includes an information processing apparatus (center server) 101, battery stations 1021, 1022, and 1023 (collectively referred to as battery stations 102). The information processing apparatus 101 and each battery station 102 are connected to be able to communicate via a communication network 103.

The information processing apparatus 101 is a server that communicates with a plurality of battery stations 102 and manages information of the battery stations 102 and information of users. In particular, information relating to the replacement battery disposed in the battery station 102 is managed.

The battery station 102 is a device capable of storing a plurality of replacement batteries, and is a device that performs charging of the replacement batteries, rental to users, and the like. The battery station 102 may be capable of electrically connecting with a neighboring device to transmit and receive electric power. The proximity device includes a shop such as a house, a gas station, or a convenience store, a station, a business office, a vending machine, a parking lot, a bicycle parking lot, a traffic signal, and the like.

In the example of fig. 1, the battery station 1021 is electrically connected to a home, the battery station 1022 is electrically connected to a vending machine, and the battery station 1023 is electrically connected to a gas station. With this configuration, power can be received from the neighboring device, and the device can be used as a backup power source for transmitting power to the neighboring device even in an emergency.

In the battery station 102, as a place for storing the replaceable battery, there may be a space (storage) in which the replaceable battery is disposed as a stock that is not being charged, in addition to a space in which the replaceable battery connected to the charging device (specifically, a charging unit 224 described later) is disposed. The battery station 102 may be operated by a manager, or may be an unmanned battery station 102.

The battery station 102 performs a process of transmitting information on the total charge amount of the interchangeable batteries disposed in the battery station 102 to the information processing apparatus 101. This process may be executed when there is a manager in the battery station 102, may be executed in response to an instruction from the manager, may be executed periodically, or may be executed in response to a request from the information processing apparatus 101. Information related to the total amount of charge of the replacement battery will be described later with reference to fig. 3.

The number of replaceable batteries that can be disposed in the battery station 102 may be one or more, and may be different for each battery station 102. For example, the number of replaceable batteries that can be disposed in a location where the installation space is limited, such as a location where a vending machine is additionally installed, may be smaller than the number of replaceable batteries that can be disposed in a location where a certain degree of installation space can be secured, such as a gas station.

In the present embodiment, all the replaceable batteries are of the same type and have the same storage capacity, but may be of different types and may have different storage capacities.

The communication network 103 connects the information processing apparatus 101 and the battery station 102 so as to be able to communicate, and includes a wired network, a cellular network, and a wireless local area network.

Next, fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the information processing system according to the present embodiment.

The information processing apparatus 101 includes a control unit 211, a memory 212, and a communication unit 213. The control unit 211 is a processor such as a CPU, for example, and executes the processing stored in the memory 212. This processing is, for example, processing for managing information relating to the total charge amount of the battery station 102, or processing for creating a movement plan of the replacement battery 241 between the battery stations 102, which will be described later.

The memory 212 is a storage device such as a ROM, a RAM, and an HDD. The memory 212 stores various data in addition to the program executed by the control unit 211. In one example, the CPU (not shown) can realize the function of the control unit 211 by loading a program stored in the memory 212 into a RAM (not shown).

Here, referring to fig. 3, an example of the information related to the battery station stored in the memory 212 is shown.

The station ID301 stores an identifier of the battery station 102, and the station location 302 stores information related to the location of the battery station 102. In addition, the station total charge amount 303 stores information relating to the total charge amount of the battery station 102. The battery identifiers 304, 306, and 308 store an identifier of the replacement battery 241, and the battery charge amounts 305, 307, and 309 store information related to the charge amount of the replacement battery 241. The station ID301 and the station location 302 may be collectively referred to as station information. In addition, the total charge 303, the battery identifiers 304, 306, and 308, and the battery charges 305, 307, and 309 may be referred to as charging information. In addition, in one example, the charging information may store only the information 304-309 associated with each replaceable battery 241. Alternatively, the information 304 to 309 concerning the replaceable battery 241 may be omitted and only the calculation result indicating the total charge amount of the battery station 102 may be stored. Additionally, station location 302 may correspond to at least either of its address or latitude and longitude.

In the present specification, the amount of charge of the replaceable battery 241 corresponds to the charged electric power amount (for example, kilowatt-hours) of the replaceable battery 241 or the ratio (for example, percentage) of the charged electric power amount to the stored electric power capacity. In the present embodiment, the total charge amount is the total of the charged power amounts (for example, kilowatt-hours) of the interchangeable batteries 241 disposed in the battery station 102. However, in another example, the total charge amount may be a ratio (e.g., percentage) of the charged electric power amount to the total of the storage capacities of the replaceable batteries 241 that can be arranged in the battery station 102.

Returning to the description of fig. 2. The communication unit 213 is an interface for a wired or wireless network that connects the information processing apparatus 101 to the communication network 103.

Each of the battery stations 102 includes a control unit 221, a memory 222, a communication unit 223, and a charging unit 224.

The control unit 221 is a processor such as a CPU, for example, and controls each component of the battery station to execute the processing stored in the memory 222. The processing includes, for example, processing for acquiring the charge amount of the replacement battery 241 connected to the battery station 102, and processing for transmitting information on the total charge amount of the battery station 102 to the information replacement device 101.

The memory 222 stores various data in addition to the program executed by the control unit 221. In one example, all or a portion of at least any of the station information or the charging information may be stored in memory 222.

The communication unit 223 is a communication interface used for the battery station 102 to transmit information that can specify the total charge amount of the battery station 102 to the information processing apparatus 101 via the communication network 103.

Charging unit 224 can be electrically connected to charge replaceable battery 241, and the charging process is controlled by control unit 221. In the present embodiment, the replaceable batteries 241 disposed in the battery station 102 are electrically connected to the battery station 102.

The replaceable batteries 241 disposed in the battery station 102 do not necessarily need to be electrically connected, and may be stored in the battery station 102 as a stock. The charge amount of the replaceable battery 241 in this case may be a value corresponding to the time elapsed after full charge (time after charge) or a value of a charge sensor.

In one example, the battery station 102 can obtain information on the charged amount of the replaceable battery 241 by measuring electrical characteristics such as voltage, resistance, and current of the electrically connected replaceable battery 241. In another example, the replaceable battery 241 may be capable of communicating with the battery station 102, and the replaceable battery 241 itself may acquire the charge amount of the replaceable battery 241 and transmit information related to the charge amount of the replaceable battery 241 to the battery station 102.

Next, an example of processing performed by the control unit 211 of the information processing apparatus 101 will be described. Here, a process related to the creation of the movement plan will be described. The movement plan is information related to the movement of the interchangeable battery 241 between the battery stations 102, which the information processing apparatus 101 requests to the user to adjust the total charge amount of the battery stations 102. The reason for adjusting the total charge amount is as follows.

If the number of users of the battery station 102 varies and the total charge amount of some of the battery stations 102 decreases, the frequency of use of the battery station 102 by the user decreases. Further, the replaceable battery 241 disposed in the battery station 102 is expected to be used as a backup power source in an emergency such as a large-scale power outage occurring in the vicinity. However, if the charged amount (the stored electric energy amount) in the battery station 102 is low, effective use as a backup power source cannot be expected for the replacement battery 241 of the station.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a movement plan for adjusting the amount of charge between the battery stations 102 is created. When the movement plan is provided to the user and the action corresponding to the movement plan is promoted, the cycle of the replacement battery 241 can be promoted, and the total charge amount of the battery station 102 in which the total charge amount is reduced can be improved. This ensures a total charge amount for providing the replacement battery 241 to a user who desires to use the battery station 102 or a total charge amount for providing as a backup power source in an emergency.

The movement of the exchangeable battery 241 may be achieved by a user transporting the exchangeable battery between the battery stations 102, or by a user mounting the exchangeable battery in an electric vehicle and moving the exchangeable battery between the battery stations 102 using electric power of the exchangeable battery. In one example, the movement of the replaceable battery 241 may be movement of power held by the replaceable battery 241, that is, movement of only power using an electric wire or the like. Such a movement of electric power can be realized by adjusting the charge/discharge amount of the replaceable battery 241 between the battery stations 102 connected to the power system.

Next, with reference to fig. 4, a description will be given of processing performed by the information processing apparatus 10 and the battery station 102 to create a movement plan of the interchangeable battery 241. In one example, the control unit 211 executes a program stored in the memory 212 to realize processing of the information processing apparatus 101.

First, in S401, the battery station 102 acquires information on the charge amounts of all the replacement batteries 241 disposed in the battery station 102. In the present embodiment, the battery station 102 is described as periodically starting the process of S401, but may be executed in response to an instruction from a manager or a request from the information processing apparatus 101 as described above.

Next, in S402, the battery station 102 transmits information (station information) related to the position and the like of the battery station 102 and information (charging information) related to the total charge amount to the information processing apparatus 101 via the communication unit 223. The station information and the charging information may be transmitted simultaneously or sequentially. Next, in S403, the information processing apparatus 101 stores the received station information and charging information in the memory 212.

Further, the station information transmitted by the battery station 102 in S402 may not necessarily contain the position information of the battery station 102. In such a case, in one example, the information processing apparatus 101 that has received station information including the identifier of the battery station 102 can read out the location information of the battery station 102 from the memory 212 using the received identifier. As described above, the charging information transmitted from the battery station 102 in S402 is at least one of the charge amount of each replaceable battery 241 disposed in the battery station 102 and the total charge amount generated based on the charge amount.

Next, in S404, the information processing apparatus 101 determines the total charge amount for each battery station 102. When the information processing apparatus 101 receives the total value of the charged amounts of the interchangeable batteries 241 arranged therein from the battery station 102, the information processing apparatus 101 determines the total value as the total charged amount of the battery station 102. Alternatively, when the information processing apparatus 101 receives the respective charge amounts of the interchangeable batteries 241 disposed in the battery station 102, the respective charge amounts may be added (calculated) to calculate the total charge amount of the battery station 102.

Next, in S405, the information processing apparatus 101 creates a movement plan of the interchangeable battery 241 based on the station information and the charging information of the plurality of battery stations 102. In one example, the information processing apparatus 101 creates a movement plan for moving the replacement battery 241 from the battery station 102 having a large total charge amount to the battery station 102 having a small total charge amount, in which the difference between the total charge amounts is equal to or larger than a predetermined value and is located within a predetermined distance.

Here, an example of the movement plan created by the information processing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 5A and 5B.

Fig. 5A and 5B show two examples of movement plans created based on the total charge amounts of the battery stations 501, 502, and 503. In this example, when the total charge amount of a certain battery station is more than the total charge amount of other battery stations by 100kWh or more, the information processing apparatus 101 may determine that the total charge amount of the certain battery station is more.

In fig. 5A, the total charge of the battery station 501 is 140kWh, the total charge of the battery station 502 is 40kWh, and the total charge of the battery station 503 is 100 kWh. The total charge amount of the battery station 501 is more than 100kWh than that of the battery station 502, and the difference between the total charge amount of the battery station 503 and that of the other battery stations is less than 100 kWh. Therefore, the information processing apparatus 101 can create a movement plan so as to move the replacement battery 241 of the battery station 501 from the battery station 501 to the battery station 502.

In fig. 5B, the total charge of the battery station 501 is 60kWh, the total charge of the battery station 502 is 180kWh, and the total charge of the battery station 503 is 70 kWh. The total charge amount of the battery station 502 is more than 100kWh than the total charge amount of each of the battery stations 501 and 503. Therefore, the information processing apparatus 101 can create a movement plan so as to move the replacement battery of the battery station 502 from the battery station 502 to the battery station 501 and the battery station 503.

Returning to the description of fig. 4. Next, in S406, the information processing apparatus 101 provides the movement plan to the user. In one example, the information processing apparatus 101 distributes an electronic mail including information related to the created movement plan to a user terminal of a registered user by using an external electronic mail service or functioning as an electronic mail server, and requests execution of the movement plan. In one example, the information may be uploaded to an external Web service or may function as a Web server, and information related to the created movement plan may be disclosed to request cooperation from an unspecified user. Details of the process of providing the movement plan to the user will be explained in a fourth embodiment later.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 101 creates a movement plan based on the total charge amount of the battery station 102. This enables adjustment of the electric power (total charge amount) held by the battery station.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the movement plan can be created so as to move the interchangeable battery 241 from the battery station 102 having a large total charge amount to the battery station 102 having a small total charge amount. This can average the total charge amount of the battery station 102 having a smaller total charge amount, and can improve the total charge amount more quickly than waiting for the charging of the replacement battery 241 disposed therein.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the charging information transmitted from the battery station 102 to the information processing apparatus 101 includes the total value of the charged amounts of the interchangeable batteries 241 disposed in the battery station 102. This reduces the amount of data received by the information processing apparatus 101 from the battery station 102, thereby suppressing the processing load on the information processing apparatus 101.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the information relating to the movement plan created by the information processing apparatus is created, it is possible to contribute to the adjustment of the total charge amount of the battery station 102 by distributing the information to the user terminal of the registered user. In the present embodiment, since the movement plan is directly provided to the specific user by mail or the like, the movement of the replaceable battery 241 can be facilitated. Further, a reward (reward) may be provided to the user who performs the movement of the replacement battery 241 in association with the movement plan. A specific example of the reward will be described in the fourth embodiment.

< second embodiment >

In the first embodiment, the movement plan for promoting the movement of the replaceable battery is created so that the replaceable battery 241 is not specified, but in one example, the movement plan including the information on the replaceable battery 421 may be created so that the replaceable battery 241 is specified.

In the present embodiment, an example of the information processing system 100 in which each replaceable battery 241 disposed in the battery station 102 has an identifier and a movement plan is created using the identifier of the replaceable battery 241 will be described. In the present embodiment, an example of the processing of fig. 4 performed by the control unit 211 of the information processing apparatus 101 will be described with reference to fig. 6. Note that the same configuration and processing as those in the first embodiment will not be described.

In one example, the battery station 102 is configured to be able to communicate with the replaceable battery 241 disposed therein, and in S401, the battery station 102 acquires the identifier and the charge amount of the replaceable battery 241 through communication. Next, in S402, the battery station 102 transmits station information of the battery station and charging information including an identifier of the interchangeable battery 241 and a charged amount to the information processing apparatus 101.

In S403, the information processing apparatus 101 stores at least a part of the station information and the charge information in the memory 212, and in S404, the information processing apparatus 101 adds (calculates) the charge amount of each interchangeable battery 241 to obtain the total charge amount of the battery station 102.

Next, in S405, the information processing apparatus 101 creates a movement plan of the replacement battery 241 based on the station information and the charging information of the battery station 102.

Here, the process of S405 in fig. 4 in which the information processing apparatus 101 creates a movement plan using the identifier of the interchangeable battery 241 will be described with reference to the specific example in fig. 6.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, battery stations 601, 602, and 603 in which three replaceable batteries can be arranged are provided within a fixed range.

The battery station 601 is provided with a battery 1 having a charge amount of 90kWh, a battery 2 having a charge amount of 80kWh, and a battery 3 having a charge amount of 70kWh, and the total charge amount is 240 kWh. The battery station 602 is provided with a battery 4 charged with 50kWh, a battery 5 charged with 40kWh, and a battery 6 charged with 30kWh, and the total charge amount is 120 kWh. The battery station 603 is provided with a battery 7 charged with 90kWh, a battery 8 charged with 80kWh, and a battery 9 charged with 10kWh, and the total charge amount is 180 kWh.

In the present embodiment, the movement plan can be created by specifying at least one identifier of a replacement battery that is moved from a battery station having a large total charge amount and a replacement battery of a battery station having a small total charge amount to be replaced. For example, the information processing apparatus 101 may create a movement plan so that the battery 1 having the largest charge amount among the interchangeable batteries 241 disposed in the battery station 601 having the largest total charge amount is moved to the battery station 602. Alternatively, the movement plan may be created so that the battery 1 of the battery station 601 having a large total charge amount is replaced with the battery 6 having the smallest charge amount among the replacement batteries disposed in the battery station 602 having a small total charge amount.

The replaceable battery 241 that can be moved is determined by the information processing apparatus 101 with an arbitrary reference. In one example, the battery 2 with the second largest amount of charge disposed in the battery station 601 with the largest total charge amount may be replaced with the battery 6 with the smallest amount of charge disposed in the battery station 602 with the smallest total charge amount. This makes it possible to improve the total charge amount of the battery station having a small total charge amount while securing a battery having a large charge amount for a user who desires to use a replacement battery at the battery station 601. Alternatively, in another example, the movement plan may be created so that the difference between the total charge amount of the battery station 601 having a large total charge amount and the total charge amount of the battery station 602 having a small total charge amount is minimized after the replacement of the replacement battery 241.

In fig. 6, assuming that the battery 1 having the charge amount of the battery station 601 of 90kWh is moved, the information processing apparatus 101 estimates that the total charge amount of the battery station 601 after the movement is 150 kWh. Next, in order to minimize the difference between the total charge amounts of the battery station 601 and the battery station 602 after the movement, the information processing apparatus 101 can create a movement plan so as to replace the battery 1 having a charge amount of 90kWh and the battery 4 having a charge amount of 50 kWh. In this case, the total charge amount of the battery station 602 after the movement of the replacement battery becomes 160 kWh.

As described above, in the present embodiment, information on the amount of charge of each interchangeable battery 241 disposed in the battery station 102 is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 101, and the information processing apparatus 101 determines the total amount of charge of the battery station 102 based on the information. Thus, the information processing apparatus 101 can estimate how much the total charge amount changes when the interchangeable battery 241 is moved.

In the present embodiment, the identifier of each replaceable battery 241 is transmitted from the battery station 102 to the information processing apparatus 101, and the information processing apparatus 101 creates a movement plan including the identifier. Thus, the information processing apparatus 101 can request the replacement battery 241 to move so as to specify the identifier.

In the present embodiment, when the difference between the total charge amounts of the two battery stations 102 exceeds the threshold value, the movement plan is created so as to move the replacement battery from the battery station 102 having a large total charge amount to the battery station 102 having a small total charge amount. Thus, the information processing device 101 can relatively compare and average the total charge amount of the battery station 102.

< third embodiment >

In the first and second embodiments, the information processing apparatus 101 can relatively compare the total charge amount of the battery station 102 to create a movement plan. In one example, the total charge amount to be satisfied is set for each battery station 102, and the information processing apparatus 101 can create the movement plan based on the total charge amount to be satisfied for each battery station 102.

In the present embodiment, an information processing system 100 that compares a charge amount (required amount) to be provided in a battery station 102 with a total charge amount to create a movement plan will be described. In the present embodiment, an example of the processing of S405 in fig. 4 performed by the control unit 211 of the information processing apparatus 101 will be described with reference to fig. 7, and the same configuration and processing as those in the first embodiment or the second embodiment will not be described.

In the present embodiment, each replaceable battery 241 has an identifier, and in S402, the battery station 102 transmits the identifier and the amount of charge of each replaceable battery 241 disposed therein to the information processing apparatus 101.

In S701, the control unit 211 starts the process in S405. Next, in S702, the control section 211 determines the required amount of the battery station 102 and the threshold thereof.

In one example, the required amount may be set by the information processing apparatus 101 from the viewpoint of serving as a backup power source based on the storage capacity of the replaceable battery 241 that can be arranged or arranged in the battery station 102 or the installation location of the battery station 102. The viewpoint of serving as a backup power source indicates the amount of power that the battery station 102 provided with the replaceable battery 241 should have in an emergency. For example, when the battery station 102 is disposed in a place where large electric power is not required in an emergency such as a house, the amount of electric power required as a backup power source can be larger than when the battery station is disposed in a place where large electric power is not required in an emergency such as a vending machine. Therefore, the installation location of the battery station 102 can be classified, for example, 70% of the required amount when the installation location is a location requiring large electric power in an emergency, and 50% of the required amount when the installation location is a location requiring no large electric power in an emergency.

In another example, the desired amount of the battery station 102 may be preset by an owner or privileged user of the battery station 102. For example, the owner of the building provided with the battery station 102 may be configured to be able to set the amount of charge to be secured in preparation for an emergency, for example, in the information processing apparatus 101 or the battery station 102.

In another example, the information processing apparatus 101 may be provided with a demand prediction unit that predicts and sets a required amount of the battery station 102 based on the usage history of the battery station 102.

In one example, the information processing apparatus 101 may store, in the memory 212, a history of the total charge amount of the battery station 102 or a history of the charge amount of the replacement battery 241 over a certain period, for example, a past month. In addition, history related to the battery station 102 in which the replaceable battery 241 has been disposed in the past, or history information related to the user who uses the battery station 102 or the replaceable battery 241 may be stored.

The demand predicting unit may predict the demand periodically, for example, once a day, or when information on the battery station 102 is received from the battery station 102.

For example, in a visiting place, the demand for the replacement battery 241 charged in the early morning and evening is increased in comparison with the usual day, and in an area where there are many office/school users, the demand for the replacement battery charged in the early morning and evening is increased in comparison with the midday. For such a change in demand with time and date, for example, a change in the past total charge amount of the battery station 102 may be recorded by the demand prediction unit of the information processing apparatus 101, and the required amount may be predicted by performing demand prediction using statistical processing such as dispersion or averaging of the total charge amount. Alternatively, if the identifier of the user who uses the battery station 102 can be acquired, if a specific user who uses the battery station 102 in a certain period can be detected, the demand prediction unit can predict the demand by taking the period into consideration.

The threshold for the desired amount includes threshold one and threshold two. The threshold value is a threshold value smaller than 0 for determining that the charged amount of the battery station 102 is insufficient and the replacement battery 241 having a large charged amount needs to be moved from another battery station 102. The second threshold is a threshold greater than 0 for determining that there is a remaining amount in the charge amount of the battery station 102 and that there is a replacement battery 241 that can be moved to another battery station 102. The first threshold and the second threshold may be predetermined values or values set based on an error between the demand prediction and the actual usage history.

Next, in S703, the total charge amount of the battery station 102 is compared with the required amount, and the difference is calculated. In the present embodiment, the difference is the charged amount-required amount. In S703, when the amount of charge is smaller than the required amount and the difference (amount of charge-required amount) is equal to or less than the threshold value, which is a negative threshold value, the control unit 211 determines that the total amount of charge of the battery station 102 is insufficient and proceeds to S705. In one example, the control unit 211 adds the identifier of the battery station 102 and the difference (shortage) to the shortage list as one entry in S705, and proceeds to S707.

In S703, that is, when the amount of charge is larger than the required amount and the difference (amount of charge-required amount) is equal to or greater than the threshold value that is a positive threshold value, the control unit 211 determines that a remainder is present in the total amount of charge of the battery station 102 and proceeds to S706. Similarly, in S706, the identifier of the battery station 102 and the difference (remaining amount) are added to the remaining list as one entry, and the process proceeds to S707.

When the difference is larger than the first threshold value and smaller than the second threshold value in S703, the control unit 211 determines that the total charge amount of the battery station 102 is neither remaining nor insufficient, and proceeds to S704, and does not create a movement plan for the battery station 102, and ends S405. In S704, if the battery station 102 is added to the shortage list or the surplus list, the entry of the battery station 102 may be deleted from the list, and the process of S405 may be terminated.

Next, in S707, the control section 211 compares the remaining list with the insufficient list. For example, when one or more of the battery stations in the remaining list and one or more of the battery stations in the shortage list are located within a certain distance and the remaining amount is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the shortage amount, the control unit 211 determines that the entries in the remaining list and the shortage list match. If it is determined that the entries in the remaining list and the insufficient list match, the process proceeds to S708. In S708, the control unit 211 creates a plan for movement of the replacement battery between the battery stations 102 of the entry matched in S707, and proceeds to S709. Here, after two or more entries are added to the movement plan in S708, these entries may be deleted. Next, the process proceeds to S709, and S405 ends. If one of the battery stations in the remaining list is farther than a predetermined distance from one of the battery stations in the shortage list or if the remaining amount is smaller than the absolute value of the shortage amount, the control unit 211 determines that the remaining list and the shortage list do not match and proceeds to S709. After the comparison of all the entries of the remaining list and the insufficient list is completed, the process proceeds to S709 and ends S405.

In the present embodiment, the remaining list and the insufficient list in S707 are compared one-to-one, but one-to-many or many-to-many comparison may be performed. For example, one or both movement plans may be made using two of the remaining list of battery stations 102 and one of the insufficient list of battery stations 102. In one example, for the purpose of one-to-many or many-to-many comparison, an optimization problem in which the positional information, the difference, and the like of the battery station 102 are used as parameters may be solved by mathematical processing such as a neural network, and this may be set as the processing of S707.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 101 sets the required amount of the battery station 102, and creates the movement plan based on the difference between the charged amount and the required amount. Thus, the information processing system 100 can adjust the total charge amount of the battery station 102 to make the battery station 102 secure a desired total charge amount.

In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 101 includes a demand prediction unit that predicts the usage of the user of each battery station 102, and creates a movement plan based on the demand prediction. Thus, by predicting the required total charge amount for each battery station 102 and increasing the total charge amount in advance, a situation in which the total charge amount is insufficient can be avoided.

< fourth embodiment >

In the present embodiment, an information processing system that distributes information relating to a movement plan to a user terminal of a registered user will be described. The user of the information processing system according to the present embodiment has an identifier, and the information processing apparatus 101 further includes a user management unit that stores the use history of the user, and a distribution unit that distributes information related to the created movement plan.

In one example, the distribution unit of the information processing apparatus 101 and the information processing apparatus 101 also function as a Web server, and disclose a movement plan on a Web site or upload a movement plan to another Web service. In another example, the distribution section may be capable of transmitting a message of a Short Message Service (SMS), an email service, or a social network service, etc., containing information related to the created movement plan, to a specific user terminal to request execution of the movement plan. In another example, the battery station 102 may include a display unit and display information related to the movement plan received from the information processing apparatus 101 on the display unit. The information related to the movement plan may be the movement plan, or a link (URL) to a Web site for viewing the movement plan, or the like. In another example, the information processing apparatus 101 is a server providing a route guidance service, and is capable of presenting at least one of a route to a destination, a battery station 102 around the route, or a movement plan to the user in response to an inquiry of the route to the destination from the user.

The information processing apparatus 101 may further include a user management unit. For example, a user of the information processing system has an identifier, and transmits the user identifier to the information processing apparatus 101 through a user terminal or a user interface (I/F) of the battery station 102 when the battery station 102 is used. Thereby, the information processing apparatus 101 can store the use history of at least one of the battery station 102 or the replaceable battery 241 of each user. In this way, the information processing apparatus 101 can identify the user who executed the created movement plan and give a reward to the user.

Here, an example of the user information database managed by the information processing apparatus 101 will be described with reference to fig. 8. The user information of fig. 8 is stored in the memory 212 of the information processing apparatus 101. The user information may be transmitted from the user or the manager of the battery station 102 to the information processing apparatus 101 via the user terminal or the battery station 102, and the control section 211 registers/updates the user information. Alternatively, the battery station 102 may acquire user information in cooperation with the user terminal or the replaceable battery 241 and transmit the user information to the information processing apparatus 101, with the use of the battery station 102 by the user as a trigger, and the control unit 211 may register and update the user information.

The user information includes user profiles 801 and performance information 802. The user profile 801 is information related to the user itself, such as the user's identifier, mail address, age, and sex. The performance information 802 stores information related to the user's actions. For example, the date and time when the user utilized the battery station 102 or the replaceable battery 241 and the contents thereof are included. The performance information may include information relating to charges and rewards. As shown in fig. 9, the actual performance information includes a plurality of actual performance information related to the actions performed by the user in a certain period in the past.

In one example, the user transmits the location information to the information processing apparatus 101 via the user terminal, and stores the location information in the user management unit. Further, the distribution unit of the information processing apparatus 101 may distribute information relating to the movement plan only to users who are a predetermined distance or less from the battery station 102 specified by the created movement plan, based on the position information of the user terminal. Alternatively, the user terminal may determine whether or not to notify the user of the movement plan received from the information processing apparatus 101 based on the position information thereof.

Next, an example of a distribution screen of the movement plan will be described with reference to fig. 9 and 10.

Fig. 9 is an example of a screen for displaying a plan for moving a replacement battery between battery stations located within a certain distance from a user.

Current location 800 represents the current location of the user who received the information related to the movement plan. The battery stations 901 to 905 represent battery stations existing within a certain distance from the user. The battery station 901 and the battery station 905 are the battery stations 102 for which the information processing apparatus 101 determines that the total charge amount is remaining. The battery station 902 is the battery station 102 at which the information processing apparatus 101 determines that the total charge amount is insufficient.

Fig. 9 shows a movement plan 906 for moving the replacement battery from the battery station 901 to the battery station 902, and a movement plan 807 for moving the replacement battery 241 from the battery station 905 to the battery station 902.

In the present embodiment, the movement plan 906 and the movement plan 907 are displayed in the same manner, but a plurality of movement plans may be displayed in a format such as a single display or a different size with priorities given to various criteria. For example, in fig. 9, since the total charge amount of the battery station 901 is larger than the total charge amount of the battery station 905, the information processing apparatus 101 may determine that the remaining amount of the battery station 901 is large and the priority of the movement plan 906 is high. Next, the information processing apparatus 101 sets that the user who accepts the movement plan 906 corresponding to the battery station 901 gets a high reward, so that the user is motivated to select the movement plan 906 with a higher probability. In another example, the information processing apparatus 101 may display a plurality of movement plans with priority given to any reference such as the frequency of use of the battery station 102, the number of the replaceable batteries 241, or the distance from the user, or may display only one movement plan. The reward given to the user may be determined by the information processing apparatus 101 based on, for example, the amount of power of the replaceable battery 241 moved by the user or the amount of power required by the battery station 102 in which the total charge amount is insufficient.

The reward may be, for example, a discount on the use fee of the replaceable battery 241 or free of charge, or a discount on the rental fee or parking fee of the electric vehicle.

When the user selects, for example, the accept button of the movement plan 906, the user terminal transmits information on the user who selected the accept button of the movement plan 906 to the information processing apparatus 101. In one example, the information processing apparatus 101 may store, in the user management unit, information indicating that the user is executing the movement plan 906 and may not entrust the movement plan 906 to another user.

In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 101 provides a reward after confirming the user who moves the replaceable battery 241. In one example, when there is a person at a battery station, the manager can confirm the movement of the interchangeable battery 241 and input information about the user who has performed the movement into the information processing apparatus 101, whereby the information processing apparatus 101 can give a reward to the user. In another example, the information processing apparatus 101 can give a reward to the user by the user transmitting information related to the user to the information processing apparatus 101 via the battery station 102. For example, the information processing apparatus 101 receives the charging information from the battery station 901 and the battery station 902, confirms that the user has actually moved the replacement battery, and remunerates the user.

Next, fig. 10 shows an example of a screen for displaying a movement plan of the replaceable battery 241 so as to match the search result of the route to the destination of the user.

The current location 1000 is the user's current location when searching for a path to the destination 1004.

The battery stations 1001, 1002, 1003 are battery stations existing within a certain distance from the route from the current place 1000 to the destination 1004. The battery station 1001 is a battery station at which the information processing apparatus 101 determines that the total charge amount is remaining. The battery station 1003 is a battery station at which the information processing apparatus 101 determines that the total charge amount is insufficient.

Here, when making a movement plan between battery stations present within a certain distance from the route from the current location 1000 to the destination 1004, the information processing apparatus 101 may present the movement plan in match with the search result of the travel scheduled route as indicated by 1005. Further, the information processing apparatus 101 may present only the search result of the shortest scheduled travel path not including the movement plan as shown at 1006.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the battery station inputs user identification information for identifying a user to the center station, and the information processing apparatus includes the user management unit that manages the use history of the user based on the received user identification information. This makes it possible to determine the charge and the award based on the usage history of the user.

In the present embodiment, the user management unit stores performance information of the user who performed the execution of the movement plan. This can promote the movement of the replaceable battery by giving a reward (reward) to the user.

< fifth embodiment >

In the first embodiment, the information processing apparatus 101 creates the movement plan based on the total charge amount of the battery station, but in one example, the movement plan may be created based on the ratio of the amount of electric power actually held to the amount of electric power that can be held by the battery station.

In the present embodiment, an example of the information processing apparatus 101 that creates a movement plan based on the sum (charging rate) of the amount of electric power actually held to the battery station with respect to the amount of electric power that can be held by the battery station, that is, the storage capacity of the replaceable battery 241 that can be arranged, will be described with reference to fig. 11. The same configuration and processing as those in the first embodiment will not be described. In another example, the charging rate may be a ratio of the total of the actual charged amounts to the total of the storage capacities of the replaceable batteries 241 actually arranged in the battery station.

Two battery stations 1101, 1102 are shown in fig. 11. The battery station 1101 is a battery station in which nine exchangeable batteries can be arranged, and actually includes exchangeable batteries 1 to 9. The battery station 1102 is a battery station in which three replaceable batteries can be arranged, and actually includes replaceable batteries 10 to 12. Here, the replacement batteries are each set to have a capacity of 100 kWh.

The amount of power that can be held by the battery station 1101 is 9 × 100kWh 900kWh, and the total of the remaining charge amounts of the actual replacement batteries is 50+40+60+30+70+45+40+40+30 kWh 405 kWh. Therefore, 405/900 — 0.45 (45%) is the charging rate of the battery station 1101. Similarly, the amount of electric power that can be held by the battery station 1102 is 300kWh, and the total of the remaining charge amounts of the actual replacement batteries 10 to 12 is 90+100+80 to 270 kWh. Therefore, 270/300 ═ 0.9 (90%) is the charging rate of the battery station 1102.

In the present embodiment, in S402, the battery stations 1101 and 1102 may transmit information on the amount of charge of each interchangeable battery or information on the charging rate of the battery station as the charging information. For example, the battery station may transmit information on the total charge amount and the number of replacement batteries arranged, and the information processing apparatus 101 may calculate the charging rate by dividing the received total charge amount by the number.

In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 101 creates a movement plan for moving the replaceable battery 241 from a certain battery station to a battery station having a charging rate that is 30% or more lower. Therefore, a movement plan for moving the replacement battery from the battery station 1102 to the battery station 1101 is created.

In one example, the information processing apparatus 101 may create a movement plan of the battery station in consideration of both the total charge amount and the charge rate. In this case, the information processing apparatus 101 may create a movement plan for moving the replacement battery from a certain battery station to a battery station having a total charge amount smaller than the battery station by 100kWh or more and a charging rate lower than the battery station by 30% or more. In the example of fig. 11, the information processing apparatus 101 has a total charge amount of the battery station 1101 of 405kWh, a total charge amount of the battery station 1102 of 270kWh, and a difference between the total charge amounts of 135kWh and 100kWh or more. However, the difference in the charge amount is only 45% smaller and not 30% or more larger, and therefore, the movement plan may not be created.

Alternatively, the information processing apparatus 101 may create a movement plan of the battery station in consideration of any one of the total charge amount and the charge rate. In this case, the information processing apparatus 101 may create a movement plan for moving the replacement battery 241 from a certain battery station to a battery station having a total charge amount of 100kWh or more or a charge rate of 30% or more. In the example of fig. 11, the information processing apparatus 101 has a total charge amount of the battery station 1101 of 405kWh, a total charge amount of the battery station 1102 of 270kWh, and a difference between the total charge amounts of 135kWh and 100kWh or more. Therefore, a plan for moving replacement battery 241 from battery station 1101 to battery station 1102 can be created. In addition, in the information processing apparatus 101, the charging rate of the battery station 1101 is 45%, the charging rate of the battery station 1102 is 90%, and the difference is 30% or more. Therefore, a plan for moving replacement battery 241 from battery station 1102 to battery station 1101 may be created.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus creates the movement plan based on the ratio (charging rate) of the total of the actual charged amounts to the total of the capacities of the replaceable batteries that can be held by the battery station. This allows the information processing apparatus 101 to average the charging rate between the battery stations.

Other embodiments

The first to fourth embodiments described above can be arbitrarily combined. For example, the information processing system may create the movement plan according to the third embodiment and distribute the movement plan to the user by the distribution unit according to the fourth embodiment.

In one embodiment, the battery station 102 further includes a power supply unit capable of supplying electric power of the replaceable battery 241 to an external device. This makes it possible to use the replaceable battery 241 not only in an electric vehicle but also in a disaster, since the battery station 102 can be used as a backup power source, introduction of the battery station 102 into a general household can be facilitated.

In one embodiment, the movement plan may be created based not only on the replaceable battery disposed in the battery station 102 but also on the amount of charge of the replaceable battery 241 mounted in the electric vehicle operated by the user. For example, the user can move to the battery station 102 by using an electric vehicle, replace the replacement battery 241 mounted on the electric vehicle with the replacement battery 241 specified by the movement plan, and move to the battery station 102. In such a case, the information processing device may create a movement plan in consideration of the amount of charge of the interchangeable battery 241 mounted on the electric vehicle and the amount of electric power required to move the electric vehicle between the battery stations 102. This makes it possible to create a movement plan in consideration of whether or not the user can travel between the battery stations 102 or to a destination using the electric vehicle.

In one embodiment, a plan for moving the replaceable battery 241 among three or more battery stations 102 may be created. For example, a movement plan may be made in the following manner: replacement battery 1 disposed in battery station a is moved to battery station B and replaced with replacement battery 2 disposed in battery station B, and replacement battery 2 is moved to battery station C. This makes it possible to adjust the total charge amount using the interchangeable batteries disposed in three or more battery stations.

In one embodiment, the information processing apparatus 101 may transmit an identifier of a replacement battery that should be moved to the battery station 102 without indicating which replacement battery the user should replace. For example, the user can be instructed to move the replacement battery from battery station a to battery station B, and to transmit the identifier of the replacement battery to battery station a. When the user arrives, the battery station a notifies the user of a replacement battery to be replaced via the user I/F, so that the user can execute the movement plan without performing unnecessary input.

In one embodiment, one battery station 102 may be capable of charging replacement batteries having different storage capacities. In such a case, the total charge amount of the battery station 102 can be calculated as well. As described in the third embodiment, when estimating the required amount of the battery station 102, the information processing device 101 can estimate the required amount of the battery station 102 by summarizing the replacement batteries having different storage capacities. Alternatively, the required amount may be calculated for each replacement battery having the same storage capacity and compared with the charged amount of each replacement battery having the same storage capacity.

< summary of the embodiments >

1. The information processing system (e.g., 100) according to the above-described embodiment is an information processing system (e.g., 100) including a plurality of battery stations (e.g., 102) and an information processing device (e.g., 101),

each battery station (e.g., 102) includes:

a charging unit (e.g., 224) capable of charging a replaceable battery (e.g., 241); and

a first communication unit (e.g., 223) that transmits charging information related to a charging amount of a replacement battery (e.g., 241) configured by the battery station,

the information processing device (for example, 101) is provided with:

a second communication unit (e.g., 213) that receives the charging information from the first communication unit;

a determination unit (e.g., S404) that determines a charge amount of each battery station (e.g., 102) based on the received charging information; and

and a movement planning means (e.g., S405) for creating a movement plan of the replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.

This makes it possible to adjust the electric power (amount of charge) held by the battery station in which the replaceable battery is disposed.

2. In the above embodiment, the charge amount of each battery station is a total charge amount of replacement batteries arranged in the battery station.

This can average the total charge amount of the battery station.

3. In the above-described embodiment, the charge amount of each battery station is a ratio of a total of charge amounts of the interchangeable batteries disposed in the battery station to a total of capacities of the interchangeable batteries that can be disposed in the battery station.

This makes it possible to average the ratio of the amount of charge actually held by the battery station to the amount of charge that can be held by the battery station.

4. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the movement planning means creates a movement plan so that the replacement battery is moved from the battery station having a large amount of charged electricity to the battery station having a small amount of charged electricity.

This makes it possible to average the total charge amount of the battery stations having a smaller total charge amount, and to improve the total charge amount more quickly than waiting for charging of the replacement batteries disposed therein.

5. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the charging information is information related to a total of charged amounts of replacement batteries arranged in the battery station.

This reduces the amount of data received by the information processing device from the battery station, thereby reducing the processing load on the information processing device.

6. The information processing system according to the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the charging information includes information relating to respective charge amounts of replacement batteries arranged in the battery station,

the determination unit calculates the charge amount of the battery station by summing up the charge amounts of the replacement batteries.

Thus, the information processing device can estimate to what extent the total charge amount changes when the replacement battery is moved.

7. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the charging information includes an identifier of each replacement battery,

the movement planning unit makes the movement plan including the identifier of at least one of the replacement batteries.

Thus, the information processing apparatus can request the replacement battery to move so as to specify the identifier.

8. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the movement planning means plans the movement plan so that the replacement battery is moved from the battery station having the larger amount of charge to the battery station having the smaller amount of charge when the difference between the amounts of charge of the two battery stations exceeds a first threshold value.

Thus, the information processing device can relatively compare and average the total charge amount of the battery station.

9. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the movement planning means compares the total charge amount of each battery station with a reference value (e.g., S703), and creates a movement plan so that the replacement battery is moved from a battery station in which the total charge amount is larger than the reference value and the difference between the total charge amount and the reference value is equal to or larger than a second threshold value to a battery station in which the total charge amount is smaller than the reference value and the difference between the reference value and the total charge amount is equal to or larger than a third threshold value (e.g., S708).

Thus, the information processing system can adjust the total charge amount of the battery station to ensure a desired total charge amount for the battery station.

10. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the information processing apparatus further includes a demand prediction unit that predicts a demand of each battery station,

the movement planning unit further makes the movement plan based on the predicted demand.

Thus, by predicting the total required charge amount for each battery station and increasing the total charge amount in advance, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the total charge amount is insufficient due to use by the user.

11. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the information processing apparatus further includes a distribution unit that distributes information related to the movement plan of the replaceable battery to a user terminal of a logged-in user.

This allows a user to be directly instructed by mail or the like, and movement of the replaceable battery can be facilitated.

12. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the first communication unit transmits user identification information identifying a user using the battery station,

the information processing apparatus further includes a user management unit that manages a usage history of a user based on the user identification information received by the second communication unit.

This makes it possible to determine the charge and the award based on the usage history of the user.

13. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the information processing device stores performance information of the user who moves the replaceable battery according to the created movement plan in the user management unit.

This enables the user to be rewarded (compensated) to facilitate the movement of the replaceable battery.

14. The information processing system (e.g., 100) of the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the battery station further includes a power supply unit capable of supplying electric power from the replaceable battery to an external device.

This makes it possible to use the replaceable battery 241 not only in an electric vehicle but also in a disaster, since the battery station 102 can be used as a backup power source, introduction of the battery station 102 into a general household can be facilitated.

15. The information processing apparatus (e.g., 101) according to the above-described embodiment is an information processing apparatus (e.g., 101) capable of communicating with a plurality of battery stations (e.g., 102),

each battery station (e.g., 241) includes:

a charging unit (e.g., 224) capable of charging the replacement battery; and

a first communication unit (e.g., 223) that transmits charging information related to a charging amount of a replacement battery configured by the battery station,

the information processing device is provided with:

a second communication unit (e.g., 213) that receives the charging information from the first communication unit;

a determination unit (e.g., S404) that determines a charge amount of each battery station based on the received charging information; and

and a movement planning means (e.g., S405) for creating a movement plan of the replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount of each battery station.

This makes it possible to adjust the power held by the battery station in which the replaceable battery is disposed.

16. The information processing method according to the above-described embodiment is characterized in that,

the information processing method is executed by an information processing device (e.g., 101) capable of communicating with a plurality of battery stations (e.g., 102) each including a charging unit (e.g., 224) capable of charging a replacement battery (e.g., 241) and a first communication unit (e.g., 223) that transmits charging information relating to the amount of charge of the replacement battery (e.g., 241) disposed in each battery station,

the information processing method comprises the following steps:

a communication step (e.g., S403) in which the charging information is received from the first communication unit;

a determination step (e.g., S404) in which a charge amount of each battery station is determined based on the received charging information; and

and a movement planning step (e.g., S405) for creating a movement plan of the replacement battery between the battery stations based on the determined charge amount for each battery station.

This makes it possible to adjust the electric power (total charge amount) held by the battery station in which the replaceable battery is disposed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, for the purpose of disclosing the scope of the invention, the following claims are appended.